Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (Star Trek: TOS story by Kathy Stanis)

You may be looking for the K/S story Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow by Terri Sylvester.

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Author(s):	Kathy Stanis
Date(s):	2001
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
External Links:	on AO3
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Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow is a Kirk/Spock story by Kathy Stanis.

It was published in the print zine First Time #53.

Summary

"Spock begins acting strangely after returning from Sarpedion's past."

Reactions and Reviews

I can’t say I am able to offer a totally unbiased opinion when it comes to this author’s stories—it’s no secret that she’s my good friend. But when I review K/S (writing and art), I really try to put my personal feelings aside—whether they are good or bad. Besides, how could anyone fail to be swept up in a story that starts with: “Relief always gave him an erection.”? And how could anyone not be carried away by a story with a smoldering, powerful, tortured Spock ravishing a strong, yet sensitive gorgeous Kirk?

And there’s more.... It’s after the events on Beta Niobe and when Spock returns from the planet’s past, he has not yet recovered from his own savage past. Kathy shows us Spock’s predicament in a terrific scene—from Kirk’s point of view—during dinner in the mess hall when Spock casually reaches over to Kirk’s plate (I love that it’s Kirk’s plate) and literally shoves some meat into his mouth saying: “This is a poor imitation of ovine flesh”. This author is absolutely masterful at showing every moment from Kirk’s intimate, close-up point of view. Her detailed and emotion-filled moment-to-moment account is written so vividly that you feel everything Kirk is feeling. The next scene when a worried Kirk drags a weird- acting Spock to his quarters for some answers, dammit, is thrash-on-the-carpet memorable...

The scene is so beautifully done because we see Kirk extremely attracted to Spock and at the same time resisting Spock’s violent advances—desperately wanting him, yet desperately fighting him. This is an extraordinarily powerful scene. McCoy intervenes at the last moment, but this incident precipitates Kirk’s deep attraction and growing love for the Vulcan. Kirk’s emotional roller coaster is shown perfectly— here, too, up close and personal. We get such an intimate view of Kirk’s feelings that we are able to see Spock very clearly. This technique—of completely showing only one POV—proves to be extremely effective. There is no wavering back and forth between two people with two feelings and watering down both by doing so. Kirk continues to be consumed by his feelings for Spock. He daydreams:

See how it feels to surrender, to trust him. To trust a man, trust Spock. Look up at him, masculine power over me, open myself and let go, let him in. Spock with the beautiful, sensitive hands, touching me all over, playing my skin, firing my nerves. Spock with the beautiful Vulcan penis, the instrument of exotic pleasures—inside me—hard and full, those ridges doing unspeakable things. He will make us one with that penis, fucking me, fucking me, fucking me— trapped, struggling, cruel hands, hands that could kill me, taking what they want—

This is written so well—see how it starts slowly and then builds in intensity as Kirk’s feelings get carried away and out of control just like the action that he’s imagining. Kathy uses soft, nice words at first—trust, beautiful, playing—then descends to hard, strong words—fucking, trapped, cruel.

Then later as Spock is suffering from what he’s done, but they finally express their mutual love—there’s a brief, yet gorgeously sexy scene that makes a perfect ending.

Like everyone else it seems, I loved the opening line: "Relief always gave him an erection." Also loved: "The Enterprise going into warp always gave him an erection." It just sounds so...male. I read somewhere that men think of sex every eight seconds. It kind of makes you wonder how they manage to get anything done, doesnt it?

Ms. Stanis has always had this enviable talent of being able to pick out a detail from some episode that everyone else misses until she puts it in a story. And then you say, of course, why didn't I think of that before. And she's done it again here. Of course Spock wouldn't recover so quickly from being thrust 5000 years into the past. He had reverted into a meat-eating, sexually aggressive barbarian. Of course it would take time for him to become our Spock again. And in the meantime.... Oh, no, you'll have to read the story to find out exactly what happens.

I will say that I especially liked how Ms. Stanis built up her story with incident after unsettling incident leading to the explosive confrontation in Kirk's quarters. Good stuff! However, I'm glad McCoy showed up when he did. Faultlessly written. Another outstanding story by an outstanding author.

Bring on the next one, Kathy. I'll be waiting.

Whenever I think about a story by this author, I struggle with how to explain its wonderful impact. For me, at least, it always seems to come down to two things: dialogue and descriptions.

The dialogue in "Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow" is an excellent example. Kathy has a gift for making her characters' conversations seem very real. When I first read this story, the mess hall scene nearly took my breath away—not because it's erotic, but because it feels so incredibly real. For a few delicious moments, I felt as though I was right there with Kirk and Spock in that dramatic situation.

I also think that dialogue and characterization go hand in hand, so the strong dialogue results in fine characterizations as well. The story is told entirely from Kirk's point-of-view, and what a believable portrayal it is! Though we get to share his most intimate sexual thoughts, he remans a fully realized character. I find Spock's characterization equally believable. He is shown only through Kirk's eyes, but everything he says and does feels absolutely right.

This brings me to Kathy's descriptions, and once again it's hard to explain why they work so well. For one thing, she uses a fine economy of language, stating things plainly yet vividly. Few descriptions of locations are necessary because this story takes place in familiar settings aboard the Enterprise, so we are free to focus on the events as they unfold. And these events are presented so effectively, using active verbs and carefully selected details. In the wonderful final scene in Spock's quarters, for example, when the focus narrows to the simple act of Kirk's hand touching Spock's foot, I was well and truly caught—and more thoroughly than by a more complicated description of bodies and actions. Quite a remarkable moment.

As for the ST episode that furnishes the darting point for this dory...well, I can only say, "Why didn't I think of that?" It seems so obvious and works so well. And though the plot provides plenty of opportunities for misunderstanding, I love the fact that this Kirkand Spock know each other so well that they dont fall into any sort of shopworn scenario of mistrust. Instead the focus can remain on the discovery of their true feelings for one another. I highly recommend this very satisfying story.

The imagination of the good K/S writers never ceases to amaze me. In Kathy Stanis' wonderful new story, for example, Spock has not yet recovered from being thrust 5000 years into the past on Beta Niobe, and her story deals with those consequences. What a great idea for a story, and something I never even considered. (One of many reasons why I would be terrible at writing K/S!) Shelley has already written an excellent LOC for this story. I do like reading the LOC's written by other writers—they are so well written, so interesting, and often really analyze the stories and the writing in ways I never could, like Shelley did in her LOC. But I'll add my two cents to her praise of this story.

Like her, I love the opening line: "Relief always gave him an erection". Kirk is relieved Spock is back safe after another mission, and that he can have his Vulcan near him once again. As the story opens, Kirk knows that he loves and wants Spock, but isn't sure how Spock feels or how to approach him. In this story, it takes Spock more time than in the episode to change back from barbarism to civilized behavior. To quote the Mirror Spock, he acts in a most atypical and illogical manner! He eats meat, acts in a territorial and possessive manner towards Kirk, and then in Kirk's cabin aggressively kisses Kirk and then tries to rape him. This is a heartbreaking scene because Kirk loves and desires Spock and desperately wants to make love to him, but obviously not under these circumstances. After McCoy rescues Kirk just in the nick of time by knocking Spock out with a hypo, the rest of the story is about Spock and Kirk dealing with Spock's behavior, and ultimately declaring their love for each other.

First Time 53 had so many good stories, and this was one of the best, in my opinion. Another outstanding story by one of my favorite authors.

"Relief always gave him erection." What a way to start a story! And there's lots of other things that give our favorite captain an erection, especially his first officer! Ms. Stanis has written another wonderful story in her inimitable style.

The story begins right after Kirk, Spock, and McCoy come back through the Atavachron, and Beta Niobe will nova in minutes. Even with all this going on, Kirk is instantly aware something is wrong with Spock. I like how Kirk is so tuned in to Spock that he notices this right away. I also liked all the carefully executed scenes that prove him right, such as menacing Moreau in the corridors when she comes too close to Kirk, and the part where Spock actually takes a piece of meat from Kirk's plate and eats it. 'This is a poor imitation of ovine flesh.' Spoken just like Spock, but so wrong for him to be doing this. Poor Kirk is too flustered to know how to respond. But when Spock almost attacks Ravin for coming on to Kirk, the captain has had it. He gets Spock out of there and to his quarters.

Whew, quite a bit happens there. Spock is angry, calls Kirk a "manipulative pretty boy". Then things get really serious. Spock grabs Kirk, obviously intent on taking what he wants. I like how even though Kirk is struggling, he still has that erection. Everything is halted abruptly before things get too far, though, by McCoy's ever-present hypo. Spock is knocked out and taken for treatment.

I liked the author's idea of Spock not being himself after coming back to the library. He went through a drastic change in the planet's past, and in the episode it always seemed wrong that he recovered so quickly. I like the idea of McCoy telling Kirk Spock needs genetic treatments to reverse the effects.

I loved when Kirk was waiting for Spock to arrive to play chess. He's setting things up, thinking of Spock, not wearing underwear and having an erection. Of course, Spock doesn't show, but true to form Kirk goes after him. They talk, Kirk helping Spock through his guilt and shame. They admit their love, and the story ends with a hot little sex scene. There's so much more in the story, you really need to read it.

"Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" is a sixteen page story which happens just after the visit on Beta Niobe where McCoy and Spock went back 5,000 years and Spock met Zarabeth. In this story, Spock is attracted to Zarabeth but doesn't have sex with her and this has created a problem when he returns to the Enterprise. This is a great story with some interesting twists. I really loved the part where Kirk calls up his comfort food and it happens to be one of mine. There are lots of nice little bits in this story that make it more than just the same old first time retold for the thousandth time.

If you remember nothing else about this story (unlikely), you‘ll remember the first line: ―Relief always gave him an erection.‖ (And, yes, I did type that from memory before checking that I was right!)

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow is one of those stories that, after reading, you might ask yourself why you haven‘t read fifty other stories based on the same premise, since it is so obvious. It‘s proof that there are still plenty of untouched nuggets of gold in the episodes. Here, the author takes the ending of All Our Yesterdays (the episode with Zarabeth) and she asks whether it‘s likely or possible that Spock has recovered fully from the time displacement just by stepping through the portal. (Upon reading this in the story, I smacked myself in the head and moaned: of course, he hasn‘t! Why hadn‘t I ever realized that before?) The author skillfully walks us with Kirk, Spock, McCoy as they transport back to the ship and then proceed towards sickbay. Hey, when McCoy takes Spock into a private room for an examination, and then a short while later Spock walks out to go to dinner with Kirk, I didn‘t suspect a thing! Neither did Kirk, until Spock has an interesting encounter with Marlena Moreau in the corridor, and then behaves in an extremely atypical manner in the mess, and then stares off a would-be admirer.... And I‘m forgetting the great observation of the way that Kirk comes between his two friends at the end of the episode and the beginning of this story, one hand on each of them as they stand before the portal. Remember that? I can‘t believe that for twenty years I watched that scene without noticing what the author so beautifully recreates. Not embellishes, because what is described in this story is really there. Kirk‘s hand on McCoy is comradely, friendly. His touch on Spock is positively a caress. Watch it sometime. Subtle, but definitely there. I really like the harsh words between captain and first officer as they confront each other in Kirk‘s quarters. These are all things that Spock might indeed have thought in the privacy of his own mind, but would never have expressed. I don‘t think he actually does think those things, but there are definitely elements of truth there.... This is another story where, for me, McCoy is used really well. I like how proactive he is, despite the initial sickbay scene. He‘d figured out what had happened and was trying to do something about it, and did arrive almost in the nick of time when he was really needed.... I did find myself wishing for more intervention by him with Kirk after the rape/almost rape, but perhaps that took place offstage when we weren‘t reading. In general I really don‘t buy stories about Kirk‘s need to surrender, both physically and emotionally, as I just don‘t see that in his character, nor do I agree with general comments about that need for leaders. For me, leaders are leaders are leaders. So I would expect myself not to care for this story too much. But as others have said before me, a really good writer can make me accept and enjoy many scenarios that aren‘t my favorite, and that‘s what happens here for sure. The relationship between Kirk and Spock is a really complicated one, I have always thought, and the author taps into the complications of Kirk‘s psyche— as she sees it here—in a way that definitely convinced me for the time that I was in this story‘s universe.

And of course, we also get the trademark Stanis poetic language and understanding. One of several stories in this zine that‘s really memorable.

By coincidence, or possibly fate, I watched All Our Yesterdays within the last month and saw something for the first time. I was struck by the manner in which Kirk touched Spock and McCoy upon their precipitous return from the Atavachron. One of Kirk’s hands went to McCoy’s back and one to Spock’s as they gazed into the “doorway”, all facing away from the camera. Kirk’s right hand was steady on the doctor’s shoulder. His left hand seemed to have other ideas, as it first kneaded and then caressed Spock’s shoulder and moved tenderly down his back.

This is the scene when our story opens, and the story is as warm and welcoming as the caress. There is a rough part, because Spock is not recovered from the effects of Sarpeidon and comes on to Kirk in a somewhat uncivilized and brutal manner. Not quite rape, but only because McCoy interrupts. I found both men to be entirely in character during this difficult time. Kirk hurt but understanding, Spock horribly ashamed but not stupidly defiant. He is able to yield to Kirk’s friendly and loving persuasion, and I appreciated that approach greatly. McCoy’s compassion was on target as well. Nothing to muddy the waters, you might say. Spock has the intelligence and ability to confess his grief over his actions and to ask forgiveness, not to be stubbornly self-deprecating. I found this very believable.

Overall you will find this a very loving story and one that is exceptionally well-told and satisfying.